Route 66 in the News
Route 66 Meetings Begin
2007-09-24 22:05:13
MIAMI, Okla. - Signs, historic markers, festivals and events would be considered priorities for Route 66 through Oklahoma if the federal government designates the 417-mile stretch of highway a national scenic byway.
A sparse crowd turned out Tuesday night at the Civic Center in Miami for the first of 10 public meetings to be staged this week along the route.
Richard Andrews, state byways program coordinator with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation, said the meetings represent the first piece of the development of a corridor management plan for the historic highway and the communities along the route.
“This will open the door for a lot of marketing opportunities,” Andrews said.
Carter and Burgess, a consulting firm hired with a $125,000 federal grant, will compile information gleaned from public comments, community surveys and business surveys, and prepare the management plan, he said.
A final plan will be developed after communities review the proposal.
The plan will be submitted, along with an application for the designation, to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Pam Lewis, with the Oklahoma Byways Program at the University of Oklahoma, said a national designation would provide federal grant funds for communities to upgrade infrastructure along the route, put up signs, and develop brochures to market the section of the route that passes through the communities.
If the plan is approved, communities could submit joint grant applications for a regional approach to encouraging public awareness of the historic route.
The section of Route 66 in Oklahoma runs from Quapaw to Texola.
“By summer, we should know something,” Lewis said. “We’re hopeful and optimistic.”
The federal government this year allocated $35 million for national scenic byway funding.
“We have to preserve what is already here,” said Blaine Davis, a member of the Route 66 Association.
Another suggestion was to install historic markers at sites, such as old motels or diners that are gone, to inform the public of the structures and their roles along the highway.
The creation of tax credits for private property along the route was also suggested.
Festivals and events, such as a scaled-down version of the 1928 footrace that saw runners traverse the entire length of Route 66, also were mentioned.
Opinions and suggestions about the historic route may be submitted to Lewis via (405) 325-2848 for a comment sheet. Comment sheets will be accepted through December, she said.
More meetings
Today’s meetings are scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Central Park at 1028 E. Sixth St. in Tulsa and for 6:45 p.m. at First United Bank in Sapulpa. Other meetings are planned for Stroud, Edmond, Weatherford, Clinton, El Reno, Elk City and Erick.
~Debbie Robinson, Joplin Globe
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